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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · rash · tear · fan · swing · bat · lean · charge

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tear — to rip
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. lean — to bend
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rash — a series
  11. lean — thin
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rash — hasty
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com